Dredging apparatus.



No. 798,639. PATENTED SEPT. 5, 1905. G. E. TURNER.

DREDGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11,1904.

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PATENTED SEPT 5, 1905.

G. E. TURNER.

' DRBDGING APPARATUS APPLICATION run SEPT. 17. 1904-.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. TURNER, OF BELLEFONTAINE, OHlO, ASSIONOR TO THE BELLEFONTAINE FOUNDRY & MACHINE OOFHANY, OF BELLEFON- TAINE, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DREDGING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1905.

Application filed September 17,1904. Serial No. 224,910.

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Be it known that I, GEORGE E. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellefontaine, in the county of Logan and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dredging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Hy invention relates to improvements in dredge-boats, and particularly relates to the jack-arms or spuds by which the boat is supported to prevent it from careening while in operation.

The object of my invention is to greatly simplify the construction, as well as the means and mode of operation, of such devices, whereby they are not only cheapened, but rendered easy of operation and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further object of my invention is to simplify the operation of setting and lifting the spuds by connecting the spuds by a system of cables with power-operated drums, whereby a single operator may at will quickly and easily raise and set the spuds on either side of the boat, either separately or sin'iultaneously.

A further object is to so construct the device as to use existing structures upon the boat as supports for the gallows-bar, thereby reducing the weight upon the heavy-laden working end of the boat and further economizing space.

A further object is to provide an improved foot for the spud-arm which may be more easily pulled from the mud when it is desired to raise the spuds.

\Vith theabove primary and other incidental objects in view my invention consists of the means, mechanism, construction, and mode of operation hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

in the drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of the boat-hull with the improved spuds and operating devices mounted thereon. Fig. 2 is a view of one of the spuds as viewed from the boat. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the operating-drums and driving mechanism. Fig. l is a detail of the operating-drum and driving means. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively plan and side views of the gallows-bar casting through which the spud-arms slide. Fig. 7 is a modified form of device shown in Figs. 5 and 6 constructed of plates and Z-bars.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

In the drawings, (1 represents the hull of the boat, a the usual A-frame mounted thereon for the support of the swinging boom. (Not shown.) Instead of supporting the gallowsbar upon an independent structure, which is the usual method, as hereinbefore mentioned, a gallows-bar u" is secured to the A- frame a and securely trussed by rods 11?, which are secured near the ends of the gallows-bar and which pass over the cross-bar 11 secured to the A-frame above said gallow"- bar, and by the truss-rods extending downwardly from the ends of the gallows-bar to the hull.

Secured to opposite ends of the gallows-bar a are castings 6, Figs. 5 and (3. The casting bis formed with a pocket 6', adapted to fit over the end of the gallows-bar, to which it is secured by bolts, and a central opening 73, through which the spud -arm slides. The walls of the opening are preferably formed convex, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 6, thereby permitting the spud-arms a limited lateral movement therein. On either side of the opening is a pocket 6, in which are located a pairof sheaves b, Fig. '2. Below each of the pockets 1/ is a socket If for the upper end of the truss-bar or prop 1/", extending between the end of the gallows-frame and the hull, as shown in Fig. 1. Eyes 6" and are provided for the truss-rods a and 11". By this construction there is formed a gallows structure which is strong and stable, with a great economy of material, weight, and space.

Each spud consists of an arm 0, having pivotally secured thereto a foot e. At the upper end of the spud-arm c is secured a casting 0, having on either side pockets, each of which contains a pair of sheaves c. On the inner side of the spud-arm rand in proximity to the foot (1' is a pair of inwmdly-extending slotted guide-plates c, between which are located a pair of sheaves c, which are connected by a shackle a with the foot (1'.

Pivotally secured on opposite sides of the casting I) by a pivotal connection through an opening I) is a pair of plates or bars (1, between the upper ends of which is secured a block c carrying the single sheave c", and between the lower ends of the plates or bars a is secured a pair of sheaves 0 Adjacent to the foot 0 is a V-frame, arms 0 of which are pivotally secured at the vertex of said frame with the spud-arm 0. At the opposite ends the arms of the V-frame are hinged to the boat-hull. A series of holes 0 in the arms 0 for the reception of the pivotal bolt render the spread of the spuds or the relation of the spuds with the hull variable.

Loosely journaled on a shaft 6, mounted on the deck of the boat, is a pair of drums, preferably stepped drums, as shown at 6, Figs. 1, 3, and 4:.

The system of cables by which the spuds are set and the boat supported is shown in the drawings to consist of eight strands, and the system by which the spuds are lifted from the ground when it is desired to move the boat consists of four strands. These proportions may be varied to suit the nature of the work and at the same time the steps of the drums e proportioned in direct ratio in order that as either system is operated either to set or raise the spuds the other system may be slacked accordingly.

The cable 0 by which the spud is set, is reeled upon the larger step of the drum e, thence over an intermediate sheave 6 secured to the gallows-frame, and through a lateral opening 6 into the pocket 6 of the casting b and around the first of the two sheaves 7) contained therein, thence upward and over the first of the sheaves on the corresponding side of the spud-arm c, as best shown in Fig. 2, thence downward and around the second of the sheaves I), thence over the second of the sheaves 0 then downward and around the sheave 0 then over the first of the sheaves c on the opposite side of the spud-arm, thence around the first of the sheaves If on the same side, and again over the second of the sheaves c 'and the end of the cable secured to the casting 6 by a clevis, as at 6".

The cable system by which the spuds are lifted from the groundconsists of the cable 6*, reeled upon the small step of the drum 6' and passing first over the sheave e thence over one of the sheaves 0 then downward and around one of the sheaves 0 then over the second of the sheaves 0 then around the second of the sheaves c and the end is secured by a clevis, as at o In assembling the parts sufiicient slack is allowed in the cable 6* to permit the sheaves c to rest in the lower end of the slots in the guide-plates 0*. In operation the first movement of the cable will be to take up this slack sufiieiently to draw the sheaves to the upper end of the guide-plate slots, which movement will move the foot 0 on its pivotal connection, pulling the heel of said foot from the mud, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus gradually breaking the hold of the mud upon the spud before the spud-arm moves upward.

As the arm is pulled upward the cable 6 is reeled upon the smaller step of the drum and the cable 0 is paid off the drum sufiiciently to compensate for the movement of the spudarm, and as the spud is set the operation is reversed.

The mechanism for driving each of the drums e, which is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, consists of a worm-wheelf, mounted on the shaft 0 and driven by a worm f. On the end of the shaft of the worm f is mounted a bevel gear f adapted to mesh with a bevel-pinion f slidingly mounted on a counter-shaft f, driven by any suitable means, as a donkey-engine, (indicated at f'.)

As shown in Fig. 3, the drums and driving mechanism are arranged in duplicate, and means, consisting of the leversf and linksf, are provided for shifting the pinions f on the counter-shaft f in such manner as to engage or disengage such pinions simultaneously or separately with the bevelgears f By this means the spud on either side may be operated independently of the other. The reversing of the operation is accomplished through the engine. that as the worm cannot be operated by the strain of the spuds on the drum'the worm by this construction forms a positive lock for the mechanism at any point.

The drum 3 is engaged by the worm-wheel f through a pin 1], which extends through the web of the worm-wheel f and engages the drum, as shown in Fig. 4, and is held in position by a bolt f passing through said pin and a boss extending from the web of said worm-wheel.

When the boat is to be left unused for atime, the pins f are withdrawn and the drums e are allowed to run free on the shaft 6, which will allow the boat to rise and fall with a varying water-level and allow the spuds to automatically adjust themselves to such variations and at the same time serve as anchors to prevent the boat floating away.

In Fig. 7 is shown a construction which obviates the necessity of the use of the casting b. The gallows-bar in this case would consist of two timbers g g, bolted to opposite sides of the A-frame. g g are iron plates secured to the inner sides of such timbers and form guides and bearing-plates for the spud-arm 0. Z-bars g secured to the timbers g g,'together with the plates g 9, form pockets for the sheaves 6*, thus forming a simple and economical construction.

It will be seen that there is thus provided a spud-arm which is safely locked at all times and in'all positions and which under the constant control of one man in a central location can be easily and safely raised or set from the same power source, which is supported upon any other necessary structure, thereby occu- It will be further noted pying no additional deck-room and materially reducing the weight upon the working end of the boat.

Having thus described my invention, I clainv- 1. Ina dredgingapparatus, the combination of a drum with a spud-arm having a foot pivoted to one end thereof, flexible connections extending from the foot and the opposite end of said spud-arm to the drum, and means for operating the drum, for the purpose specified.

2. In a dredgingapparatus, the combination of a plurality of drums, a plurality of spudarms, feet pivoted to one end of said spudarms, a plurality of flexible connections extending from the feet and from the opposite ends of the spud-arms to the drums, and means for operating the drums, for the purpose specilied.

In a d redging apparatus, the combination of a drum, a spud-arm, a foot pivoted to the end of thespud-arm, a sheave, and connecting means between the foot and the sheave, a support for said sheave adapted to permit movement of said sheave independent of said support, flexible connections between the sheave and the drum, flexible connections between the drum and the opposite end of said spudarm, and means for operating the drum, for the purpose specified.

l. In a dredging apparatus, the A-frame, the gallows-barsupported thereon, truss-rods extending from the ends of the gallows-bar to the A-frame, spud-arms supported in the ends of the gallows-bar, and connecting-arms between the ends of the spud-arms and the hull of the dredging apparatus, substantially as described.

In a dredging apparatus, the combination of a spud-arm, a drum, connecting means between the drum and spud-arm, a wormwheel connected to the drum, a shaft, and a drum thereon, a beveled gear on the end of the shaft, a pinion in mesh with said beveled gear, and means for operating the pinion, for the purpose specified.

6. .In a dredging apparatus, the combination of a plurality of spud-arms, a plurality of drums, a gear-wheel connected to each drum, a shaft and a worm thereon gearing with each gear-wheel, and pinions connected with said shaft, and means for shifting said pinion, for the purpose specified.

7. In a dredging apparatus, the combination of a spud-arm, a drum, connecting means between the spud-arm and drum, a drivinggear independent of said drum, means for interlocking said driving-gear and drum and actuating means for said driving-gear, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In a dredging apparatus, an A-frame, a gallows-bar supported thereon, spud-arms, housings on said gallows-bar for said spudarms, sheave-pockets on said housings,sheaves in said pockets, sheaves on said spud-arms, and spud-arm-operating cables passing over said sheaves, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. In a dredging apparatus, spud-arms, double drums of varied diameters, a system of setting-cables and a system of hoisting-cables, said system of setting-cables consisting of a greater number of strands than that of the hoisting-cables.

10. In a dredging apparatus, spud-arms, a system of setting-cables for each spud-arm, a system of hoisting-cables for each spud-arm of less number of strands than said system of setting-cables, and a stepped operating-drum for said setting and hoisting cables, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of September, A. I). 1901.

GEO hh E E. TURNER.

\Vitnesses:

E. E. MeELnoY, R. F. TREMAIN. 

